Glad You Came
by khughes830
Summary: Post Hat Trick.  After a rewatch, I noticed that Emma put the hat in her car.  Why?  Rated T for now, as I have plans... may change, depending on where those plans take me!  Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

_I had been waiting for a pairing to grab me. Once Jim and Pam got their happy ending, I kept waiting for that new "something" to jump out at me. I thought that it might be PRex's Ben and Leslie. Maybe IPS's Mary and Marshall. And then DAMN if Sebastian Stan and Jennifer Morrison about make my TV melt during Hat Trick. I was glad to see he's back two more times before the end of the season, but WOW do TPTB need to find a way to bring him back at least recurring next year. I know... he's been cast in a new USA show, but still... until then, we all have our FF. And who knows, maybe if we flood the web, someone might notice._

_Not sure where I am going with this yet. I'll probably continue as I'm one of those people who doesn't start a story unless I plan on finishing it. And after rewatching Hat Trick (thanks ABC On Demand!) again, I felt compelled to get this out of my head. So enjoy. I'll update when I can as real life likes to get in the way... a lot..._

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><p>It was like the hat was staring back at her. She sighed and looked at the clock. She should be sleeping. Lord knows that Regina isn't being kept up at night right now. But this hat. This stupid, maddening, simple hat that she put in her car without realizing it. She glanced over at Henry's book. It had been weeks and he still hadn't asked for it back. She couldn't make herself turn off the page of Jefferson and Grace. Why? Why why why why why?<p>

Because deep down she knew that he had gotten to her. Not just with his words. Yes, his words had gotten to her. He was so set in his beliefs that he was from that fairytale world, just like everyone else, but that he remembered. That it was all Regina's fault that he was trapped, only being able to look at the outside world through his window. Why shouldn't he have been a little off kilter? Have to watch the rest of the world move around you while you are trapped.

"But he wasn't trapped. Because there's no such thing as magic!" There was no one here, but she felt it needed to be said out loud, to give it some validity. But it had been weeks. And her resolve was crumbling. She had spent hours and hours looking in the forest for him. There was no way he should have survived that fall. Even if he did, he would have been badly injured and could not have gotten far at all. But there was no sign of him. No blood. No shoe prints. Nothing. It was like he had vanished down…

"The rabbit hole?" she said, giggling to herself. Great.

She flipped over and stared at that blasted hat again. She glanced at her hands and back at the hat. Was he right? Did she have "magic" in her?

She's never felt special. Never once in 28 years has anyone made her feel special. Until Jefferson… mad, blabbering, slightly gorgeous Jefferson, told her that he knew she had magic in her. And that's was special and different and she was his only hope to get out of the world.

She blew out the breath she had been holding, glared at that hat one more time and turned off the light. She knew what sleep she would find would be restless and full of dreams. It had been that way for weeks, since that night at the house. She could only blame the after effects of whatever crazy drug he put in the tea for so long before you have to realize it is something else. But what?

"I hate that hat. I'm throwing it out tomorrow" she said as she closed her eyes. But even that, she knew, was a lie. She had been telling herself the same thing for weeks now. Yet, there it sat, in the corner of her room.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for all the reviews and alerts. It's been a long time since I've had this kind of response to anything. Much appreciated._

_Sorry for the delay. What happens after one rewatches Hat Trick a few times and THEN one goes to see The Hunger Games is that you find yourself in Ship-Overload. That's what happened to me this weekend so it took me a few days to get back to thinking normally. Enjoy the chapter. _

The first thing she noticed that she was much more comfortable than her crappy old mattress normally makes her. She felt the wind lightly tousling her hair. She dropped her hand down and noticed that it landed on what felt like a bed of lush…

"Grass. Oh God" she groaned. Again. This dream again.

"The sun goes down, the stars come out…"

"Go away" she muttered.

"This is your dream, Ms. Swan. Not mine. It is curiouser and curiouser that you keep bringing me here, though…" and he chuckled. She groaned and pushed herself up. She opened her eyes and found him right there, all in her personal space. What she thought was the wind was his fingers running through her hair.

"Wake up, Emma. Wake up, Emma" she muttered to herself.

"When has that worked for you?" he asked, propping himself up on one hand, still staring at her.

"Jefferson, please."

"Please what?" he asked, leaning into her slightly, which that rasp in his voice that made her stomach do a small flip. His eyes were shining at her and she could tell there was a laugh.

"Please go away."

"Once again, Emma, this is your doing, not mine. You are the one that keeps conjuring me up, not the other way around. How many times is this now?"

"I lost count."

"I'm flattered."

She rubbed her hands over her face and looked at him. He felt so real in this moment. He always did. For weeks now, it felt like he was right there with her in these short, stolen moments.

"Where are you?" she asked. He just shrugged, grinning at her. And it was out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Are you coming back?"

He sighed and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I'm trying. I'm really trying."

"Why?"

"Because I have things left to do" he said, resting his hand lightly against her cheek. She leaned in and took a deep breath, really looking at him.

"This feels so real."

"Dreams can."

"So this is just a dream?"

"That's what you keep saying."

"But you think it may be…" BEEP!

They both glanced around, looking for the beep that came from the distance.

"What was that?" she said, glancing at him. He smiled, sadly this time, and started to move away from her. BEEP!

She got up and turned in a circle, trying to identifying the sound. And when she got back around, he was gone.

BEEP! "JEFFERSON!" she yelled, trying to figure out where he could have gone. BEEP!

"JEFFERSON!" she yelled, shooting straight up in bed. BEEP! And with that final beep, she threw the alarm clock across the room. She ran her hands through her hair and glanced at that hat… that blasted hat in the corner of her room.

"Where in the world have you gone, Jefferson?" she asked to no one in particular, flopping back down in her bed. "And now I need a new alarm clock."


	3. Chapter 3

_Easter, Schmester! What do you MEAN there isn't a new episode Sunday night?_

_Oh, and if you either haven't watched the last episodes or seen the preview for the next episode, there's a slight spoiler included below. I wasn't even going to warn, but I figure there are people out there who may not have seen it yet. So avert your eyes till you've seen the most recent episode. Or at least the last 5 minutes._

_I also need to say that I never really bought Emma and Graham as a possible pairing. Honestly, until Hat Trick, Emma was my weakest link. But I guess that was the ep that Morrison hit her stride as Emma Swan, because she also brought it in the last ep too. So no offense to Graham fans. _

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><p>Emma collapsed back into her chair at her desk. It was late. The town was quiet and she was alone. Mary Margaret was finally out of that cell. Regina was unhappy, but what else was new. She had no clue where Katherine had come from, but at this point, she didn't actually care. Regina was on her heels. Mary Margaret was sleeping in her own bed tonight and Mr. Gold… well, she still wasn't sure why he had taken such an interest in this case, but she just couldn't muster up a give-a-shit at this point.<p>

Because the dreams had continued. It was part of the reason she was still sitting in her office at 11:30 at night. It was every night now. They felt so damn real. She could feel herself getting closer to him night after night. And she didn't mind. Not in the slightest. It had been a long time since someone had gotten into her head like this. She thought that Graham could have, but now she knows that was probably never going to happen. Not like this.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. He felt so real to her when she was dreaming. It was to the point where she feared NOT having the dream when she laid her head on her pillow at night.

It had been 10 weeks. 10 weeks since he had fallen out that window. 10 weeks since she had looked into those eyes and seen that wicked smile. In the flesh, that is. But then again, were they really dreams when they felt so real and never changed?

It was maddening. She giggled at the thought. "Now I'm talking like him" she said, opening her eyes and looking at her empty office. "And I'm talking to myself. Great." She knew she needed to get some sleep. She pushed herself out of her chair and glanced around one more time before heading out the door, hitting the lights as she went.

She got about 10 steps out the door when she realized that she left her keys on her desk. "Not going to get very far without those" she muttered to herself as she walked into the dark office. She grabbed her keys off the corner of her desk and glanced around again. She looked out the window as she started to turn on her heels. Then she froze. She slowly turned back toward the window and looked again. She thought for sure her eyes were playing tricks on her. They had to be, her brain screamed at her.

But they weren't. Because there it was. Plain as day. For the first time in 10 weeks, there was light streaming from every window of that large house on the top of the hill.


	4. Chapter 4

_Last chapter. I had fun writing and can't wait for Jefferson to show back up to inspire all of us more. I know some asked for a little something-something... maybe I'll add an epilogue on at some point, but for now, this particular journey has come to an end. Thanks for reading and you all keep posting the Mad Swan. I just love reading it._

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><p>The door was standing wide open when she pulled up in front of the steps. She didn't even bother to turn her car off, she just bolted. She stood in the entry way and heard nothing. The house was too big. Where was he? He could be anywhere. If he was here at all. Could this be another trick? Did she fall asleep in her chair?<p>

No. No, she didn't. She knew this was real.

Up the stairs? Go in to the living room? Explore the rest of the house? Which way? Which way?

She heard a creak from the floorboards above her head and that answered the question for her. She took the steps two at a time, flying on adrenaline and… something else… something she wasn't quite ready to admit to herself.

Blast this huge house. Which way? Which way? That's when she heard the music… the low notes of some song coming from her left. So that's the way she headed. As the music got louder, she slowed down. She froze when she reached the door from where the music was coming. She was… nervous, scared, elated… or some combination of all three. She wasn't sure at this point.

She slowly pushed the door open and quit breathing. It was a study of sorts. Books lining every wall. A large desk in the middle of the room. And sitting behind the desk, with his feet propped up and his eyes closed, head resting against the large leather chair, was Jefferson.

She couldn't move. She had to remind herself to breathe. She couldn't do anything but stare.

He just sat there, eyes closed, nodding his head to the music. He must have felt her presence because his eyes snapped open and they were staring at each other. He pulled his feet off the desk and waited. When she didn't move, he stood up and rounded the desk.

"You" he said in a hushed tone.

She shook her head. "You're here?"

He glanced around. "It would seem so."

"But, how… where…"

He shrugged. "I wish I knew. I'm not entirely sure I remember… wait, how long have I been gone?"

"10 weeks" she said, breathlessly.

"It's been 10 weeks since we last saw each other. That doesn't seem…" and something dawned on him, lighting up his eyes. He stood a little straighter and took a deep breath.

"The meadow. The stars. The beep" he said, coming to some kind of realization.

"No. Way" she whispered.

He smiled back at her. "Wake up Emma" he said, his smile growing wider.

That broke her. She flew across the room and found herself wrapped around him before she could think better of it. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned back against the desk, giving them both the little bit of support they needed.

"This is real" she whispered into his neck.

"As real as we can be here, in this place and time." She pulled back and looked up at him. Those eyes. That smile. Oh God, she was lost. He believed she was magic. It didn't matter if she really was or not, but just the fact that he believed… that's all she really needed in her life.

"You came back."

"I told you. I'm not quite finished here yet."

Whether this magic or a spell or a curse… it didn't matter to her in that moment. She could try to figure out where he had been and how he had gotten back, no worse the wear, tomorrow or the day after. But tonight, in this moment, she just wanted to feel. She could tell he was thinking the same thing as he tightened his grip on her and crashed his lip into hers.

And however he got here in the first place… or how he managed to get back to her now… she was sure glad he did.


End file.
